


The University Mystery

by yuletide_archivist



Category: The Trixie Belden Mysteries - Julie Campbell Tatham & Kathryn Kenny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-12-18
Updated: 2006-12-18
Packaged: 2018-01-25 08:25:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1641371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for naiad</p>
    </blockquote>





	The University Mystery

**Author's Note:**

> Written for naiad

 

 

[dust jackets]

Trixie Belden, senior at Sleepyside Junior-Senior High, rushed in through the kitchen   
door, only remembering to stop the door from slamming when her mother called out from   
the living room.

"Trixie, don't let the door slam! Bobby's taking his nap."

Trixie spun around, hair, skirt and books fanning out around her, just before the screen   
door made its distinctive 'thwap' against the doorjamb. Bobby had given up real naps   
once he'd entered school but his quiet time after school, usually used for homework, had   
retained the name. "Sorry, Moms," she called. "I'll go get Bobby up." It was Trixie's job   
to help her mother by keeping Bobby out of trouble.

Helen Belden appeared in the kitchen doorway and Trixie wondered yet again how she   
always managed to look so fresh, especially when Trixie knew she'd been working in the   
garden out behind the cozy farmhouse.

"I'll get him in a minute. You got some letters today, Trixie. I know you'll be excited to   
read them." She smiled at her daughter, who had rushed past to get the mentioned mail.

"Moms?"

"Yes, Trixie, I'll watch Bobby until it's time for me to work on dinner. After that, I need   
your help."

"Thanks Moms! You're the best." Trixie gathered her schoolbooks and letters and headed   
up to her room. One letter each from her brother Mart and her friend Jim. Best to read   
Mart's first, otherwise she was likely to get too wrapped up in what Jim was saying and   
forget to read it all together. Trixie hurriedly changed into what was still called play   
clothes and then flopped down onto her bed to read.

_Dear Beatrix,_

"Oooh, that Mart is lucky he's an hour away," Trixie scowled at the mention of her   
dreaded full name.

 _How are things at Crabapple Farm? You're probably having the ends of the corn_  
this week. Eat an ear or two for me?

College is going nicely. . .

Mart wrote her about his first few weeks of dorm life, of the laundry mishaps he'd   
already had and of the new people he'd met.

_My roommate is a fellow from Pennsylvania named Christopher. He's no taller than  
you, Trixie, but plays a swell game of basketball. He's quite smart and tells wonderful   
jokes. His vocabulary is almost as impressive as mine, if you can believe._

There was more about a few of his classmates and a few descriptive paragraphs about the   
dormitory cafeteria. It wasn't quite up to Mart's normal standards, but he was working on   
improving things. 'Leave it to Mart,' Trixie thought.

_I'm learning so much here, even outside of my classes._

How is everything back at Sleepyside High? And the rest of the Bob-Whites? Say hello   
to Honey and Di for me.   
Love,   
Marty [that's what Chris calls me]

"Marty?" Trixie wondered at that. Mart had never liked being called that before.

And why did Trixie need to say hello to Di for Mart? Mart and Di were good friends,   
paired off within their group of friends. It was assumed they were keeping in touch as   
well as staying steady dates. So, why couldn't Mart just say hi himself?

Trixie was still contemplating that when her mother called her down to watch Bobby so   
she could work on getting dinner ready. Trixie blew an unruly curl off her forehead and   
headed down the stairs, no closer to an answer than she had been before.

[cellos]

Mart opened his mailbox and pulled out a nice thick envelope, return address Crabapple   
Farm, and smiled. Letters from home were just what he needed today. College was   
proving to be more of a change to him then he'd expected. His classes were just   
challenging enough to keep him using his best study skills, but it was the social   
atmosphere that really had Mart thrown.

He looked at the stack of envelopes and headed out to the quad to read. It was a crisp fall   
day, the leaves on the trees turning brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow and it   
reminded Mart of home, where everything made sense.

_Dearest Twin,_

Mart laughed out loud. He had known calling Trixie by her full name would end him in   
hot water. At home, the 11-month difference in their age had been a source of much   
teasing, now it was just another thing he smiled over. Mart continued to read as his sister   
told about the first few days of her senior year, Bobby's experiences with school and how   
the farmhouse looked. She also mentioned a new possible mystery. 'Leave it to Trixie,'   
Mart thought. She was never long without a mystery. After that her letter was full of   
questions about college, Mart's classes and especially his new friends and roommate.

He made a mental note to answer them all in a letter later that week. There was a big game on campus that weekend and Mart was sure Trixie would love to hear about the antics of his fellow co-eds. After Trixie's letter was one from Bobby, whose penmanship was much improved, about taking the bus to school and something their dog Reddy had gotten into that made him smell quite unpleasant. There were also pages from Moms and Mart's father, Peter, and a letter from Mart's brother Brian who was away at Columbia in New York City. He spent a delightful hour catching up on all the comings and goings of Crabapple Farm and its residents and was smiling fondly when his roommate arrived.   
  
"You're smiling. Does this mean you've already done all your coursework for the day or that you've managed to figure a way to get us better food in the cafeteria?"  
  
"Hi, Chris. No. I had letters from home. Everybody from home, in fact."  
  
Chris looked at the pieces of paper littered on Mart's lap and laughed. "Looks like your family and mine write the same way."  
  
Mart looked up at Chris and the broad smile on his face. He supposed Chris was an attractive guy in an unconventional way, especially when he smiled. Mart returned the smile and replaced the papers in their envelope. "I have managed to finish my homework for the day however. There's a mixer over at the main hall tonight, why don't we go?"  
  
Mart watched the smile drain from Chris's face and regretted his words instantly. "Or we could just go into town again, make another attempt at finding the perfect burger."  
  
"That sounds good. I need to check my bank first." Chris had a part time job in the administration offices that gave him some spending cash.   
  
Mart nodded and they headed back to their room with Chris keeping up a steady conversation, which included a delightful imitation of his English professor. Mart listened attentively and laughed often, mixer completely forgotten. After it was decided there was indeed enough money to get a burger, they headed out.   
  
The spot they chose for their burger investigation turned out to be quite a success. The burgers were fat and juicy, reminding Mart a great deal of Wimpy's. It appeared to be pretty popular with the rest of the college as well. Their casual conversation about classes was interrupted several times by Mart's friends dropping by the table to say hello. He introduced Chris to everyone, but Chris remained quiet during the short visits.   
  
Once back in their dorm room, Chris set about to tackling the homework he had while Mart decided to write letters to his family. There was the occasional burst of noise from the hall, music or laughter, that would Mart to pang lightly for more social interaction. But then inevitably Chris would read him a bit of text that made him laugh, or ask Mart's opinion on something and the pang would ease. More and more, Mart was choosing to spend his time with Chris.  
  
[cameo]  
  
 _The ground is getting hard making planting of any kind difficult. The college has a huge greenhouse where we are now working on plating seedlings. We'll transplant them in the spring._  
  
Trixie looked out her window at the trees, now missing nearly all of their leaves. She'd received a letter from Mart every week for a month now. The latest one was full of details about Mart's agricultural classes. Perplexed, Trixie pulled out the box she saved her letters in and retrieved the last few Mart had sent.   
  
_Hearing abut his family always makes me laugh. His younger sisters are always getting into trouble of some kind or another. Much like you, Trixie. His mother is nothing like Moms, though. She's had some hard times. To hear Chris talk about her you'd think she was the greatest mom ever._  
  
 _I don't know how he manages with the extra coursework, and he's getting top grades! I don't think I'd be able to do it._  
  
 _"Some of my classmates are planning a party for the weekend. Sort of a group birthday party for everyone born in October. There's a place on campus were you can grill food and have a nice campfire. I'm hoping I can get Chris to come along."_  
  
Trixie rifled through a few more pages before putting everything back in its envelopes and then in her box for safekeeping. She had a long weekend off from school this coming weekend and she knew exactly what she wanted to do with it. Now she only needed to convince her parents.   
  
[deluxe]  
  
Mart waited on the platform at the train station. Trixie was due in a few minutes and he was actually looking forward to seeing her. The last few days had been strange for him. His classes were all gearing up to midterms and his roommate had been spending a lot of time with a guy from one of his teaching classes. All in all it left him with a good dose of homesickness. Trixie's call asking about a visit had been a real blessing.  
  
The train pulled up and let off a handful of people, some of them students and some visitors like Trixie. Trixie herself bounded off the last car, curls bouncing with each step. Mart called out her name and laughed when she ran towards him full speed. He made a small 'oof' sound when she hugged him, still mostly in motion.   
  
"I see being a senior in high school has not taken any of the heathen out of you," Mart teased gently.  
  
"Just as college hasn't cured you of any delusions of grandeur you had," Trixie retorted.   
  
They chatted amicably on the short bus trip back to campus, mostly discussing the general coming and goings of the other Bob-Whites. Mart laughed at Trixie's description of Honey trying out for the school play, though he knew she'd land the part. Trixie confirmed that Jim had indeed asked for her to come up for his school's winter dance. Mart didn't ask about their friend Di, and Trixie didn't push.   
  
Once Trixie's things were settled into one of the volunteer girls dorm rooms, he took her to meet Chris and get a tour of campus. Chris smiled and shook her hand.   
  
"Your brother talks about you all the time," Chris told her. "All of your family," he added when Trixie looked a bit confused. Chris was funny and friendly and Trixie enjoyed his company.   
  
"Mart tells me you two have found a place with burgers to rival Wimpy's."  
  
"Well, I don't know how good this Wimpy's place is, but the burgers at The College Cafeteria are really great," Chris rubbed his hand over his belly in a universal gesture of good food.   
  
"Let's go then. This I need to see for myself!"  
  
Mart grabbed their jackets and held the door open for them. The two boys smiled at each other before following Trixie out into the hall.   
  
The trio spent most of the next day together, taking Trixie to several places around the small college town. They had a good time and Trixie knew why her brother liked his roommate so much. On Trixie's last night Chris had plans. When Mart came to get Trixie to take her to the school cafeteria for dinner he was sullen and quiet. He begged off the remainder of the evening to do homework and Trixie pondered his behavior over her own homework in her sponsored room.   
  
Chris accompanied a once again jovial Mart when taking Trixie to her train.   
  
"It was really nice getting to meet part of Marty's family." Chris smiled warmly at Trixie.   
  
"It was very nice meeting you as well, Mart had talked about you so much."  
  
Chris looked surprised but gave Trixie a brief hug. "I hope you'll come visit again. I'm going to go into the station and check on the bus back to school."  
  
The train pulled up then and Mart gave Trixie his own hug. "I'm glad you came to visit too. I'll be home in just a few weeks for the Thanksgiving holiday. We should have a Bob-White party."  
  
Trixie agreed, even offering to send letters off to all those away and set things up. She gave her brother one last hug before stepping up into the train. Mart waved as it started to slowly pull away.   
  
"Oh, Trixie!" Mart called out. Trixie turned towards him and waited. "How's that mystery you mentioned?" He was teasing, as he always did when it came to Trixie's mysteries.   
  
"It recently got much more intriguing!" Trixie smiled at the look on Mart's face and went to take her seat.   
  
[short and ugly]  
  
Two days after Trixie had gone home, Mart once again found himself sitting alone in his dorm room, brooding. Chris was out with the guy, Dave, from his education class and Mart was not pleased. Chris had been spending a lot of time with Dave lately. He had been pleased when Chris spent time with him and Trixie over the weekend. Mart didn't think much of Dave as a person. He was too sullen and a bit rough around the edges. Mart had no idea why Chris and Dave were friends and had done his best to occupy a majority of Chris' spare time.   
  
Chris returned, closing the door quietly behind him. There was a smile on his face and he greeted Mart warmly.   
  
"Hi," Mart grumbled in return.   
  
"You're in a cantankerous mood tonight. Did something happen in class today to upset you?" Chris sat looking at Mart, concern on his face.  
  
"I don't think you should spend so much time with Dave," Mart said.   
  
"Why not?" Chris asked.   
  
"He's just not a decent guy. He looks a bit rough."   
  
Chris laughed lightly. "That's it? He looks rough?"  
  
Mart gave a snort of disgust. "He's trouble, Chris, anyone can tell by looking at him."  
  
Chris narrowed his eyes. "Mart, people think I look rough."  
  
"That's because they don't take time to get to know you."  
  
Chris gave Mart a pointed look. "Exactly."  
  
Mart chose to deliberately ignore the point.   
  
[oval paperback]  
  
Trixie had just returned from getting the family's turkey from Mr. Maypenny, the Wheeler's gamekeeper. On the table was a note from her mother saying that she had taken Bobby into town for some shopping and that they would be meeting her father for dinner. There was also a letter from Mart. Trixie had the house to herself.   
  
Grabbing her letter and a drink from the fridge, Trixie settled into the big recliner in the den and turned on the TV. She read through the letter quickly, then sat back and read through it again, looking for clues.   
  
_I'm looking forward to the gang getting together this weekend. Is it true, Di is seeing some new guy?_  
  
'Gotcha'!' Trixie thought. She skimmed the remaining paragraphs. A few mentions of his classes, a follow up on the bonfire, and only one mention of Chris.   
  
_Chris is still spending a lot of time with Dave. I don't know why he can't tell the guy is just trouble. Seems like everyone can tell except him. Chris deserves better._  
  
Trixie dug around until she found some stationary and wrote him a quick response. She had a lot of questions and asked each of them. Once she'd finished, she wrote a quick note to her parents, in case she wasn't back before they were, and grabbed her bike. If she was quick she could get the letter to Mart overnighted. With any luck, he'd get it before he left to come home. If she was even luckier, he'd get it early enough to feel he had to give her some answers before he actually came home.   
  
[square paperback]  
  
Mart went home for Thanksgiving, Trixie's letter burning a whole in his pocket. They had little time alone over the weekend and when he got on the train back to school, he knew he'd have to send her a letter straight away. He slipped into the dining car, took out one of his notebooks and started writing.   
  
Chris had not been able to go home for the holiday weekend. It cost too much. He'd spent the weekend at Dave's house nearby instead. When Mart reached their room, Chris was busily working on a paper for one of his classes. Mart dutifully asked how his weekend had gone.   
  
Without turning from his work, Chris replied, "It was fine." His tone indicated it was anything but.   
  
"It doesn't sound like it was fine. Did something happen?" Mart sat on his bed. He didn't like Chris's friend Dave, but he liked seeing Chris upset even less.   
  
"No. Not really. But you were right about Dave. I'm sure you're happy to hear that," Chris looked at Mart for a moment and then turned back to his desk.   
  
"Yeah. Sure." Mart was less than convincing.   
  
The weeks left in the semester seemed to speed by. Mart and Chris were both very busy with papers and studying for finals. They'd worked out a system for study time that seemed to be working really well for them. They spent most of their time together, eating, studying and attending a few on campus holiday things. Chris talked Mart into coming to his department's Christmas party and Mart surprised himself by having a good time. Mart convinced Chris to come to the campus tree lighting and carol and was floored to learn Chris loved to sing. They'd topped off the evening by grabbing burgers at The College Cafeteria complete with eggnog milkshakes.   
  
Mart stole away to town one afternoon to buy Christmas presents for his family and friends. He saw a portable radio with a nice headset in one window and picked it up for Chris. Ever since the night of the tree lighting, Chris had taken to singing all the time. Mart wondered why he hadn't done it before.   
  
They were sitting on Chris's bed watching the tiny television they had. 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas' was airing and they had agreed it was the quintessential holiday special. Much to their delight, 'The Year Without A Santa Clause' was being shown directly after and they had a great time singing along loudly and in Mart's case, wildly off key, to the Heat and Snow Misers. They continued to talk holiday specials until they'd fallen asleep.  
  
Chris was already at class when Mart awoke. He was strangely unsettled and moved the things he'd left off his bed before climbing in it for a short nap, hoping to sleep off whatever it was. When his alarm went off, Mart still felt off. After dragging his feet, he found himself running to class.   
  
For two days Mart managed to just miss Chris more than he saw him. He spent an entire day in the library cramming for a final and it wasn't until the Friday before holiday break that he saw Chris awake again. He snuck in the closet for the gift he'd gotten for Chris and handed it to him.   
  
"Thanks." Chris's voice was rather quiet, like he was very tired or sad.   
  
"You're welcome." Mart waited for Chris to open the box. "Are you okay?"  
  
Chris sighed and looked out the window. Mart again waited and looked around their room. His bags were sitting next to the door so he could grab them in the morning to head to his train. There were no bags for Chris, who was supposed to be on a train about the same time as Mart.   
  
"Where are you bags?" Mart asked.   
  
"Mom called."  
  
Mart saw Chris's face. He knew that it meant Chris's family hadn't been able to afford his ticket home. He leaned over and took the brightly wrapped box from Chris's lap. "I've changed my mind. I don't want to give you that anymore. Go pack your stuff."  
  
Chris started to argue, but Mart stopped him. "It's not your home, but I still think Christmas at Crabapple Farm will do."  
  
Chris did as he was told.   
  
[Random House]  
  
Trixie checked her email one last time before shutting down her computer. She ran downstairs to tell her dad that Mart was indeed on the train and due at the expected time, and to let her mother know he was bringing a guest. She had taken care of the rest of Mart's requests before turning off the computer.   
  
While her mother cooked, Trixie turned up the Christmas music and added the decorations for the traditional Belden Family Christmas Open House. She was hanging the last of the mistletoe from a branch that swept across their patio when she heard the door open, heralding her father's return from the train station. There was a lot of hugging and laughing from the group. Trixie greeted Chris warmly and took his things up to Mart's room, where the guest bed had been rolled in for his stay.   
  
After an hour or so spent with their parents, Trixie suggested Mart take Chris on a tour of all their haunts, including the Bob-White clubhouse. Chris mentioned wanting to see exactly what all this Bob-White stuff was really about anyway, so the two bundled up and set off. Trixie begged the car keys off her father and ran into town quickly, promising to be back in time to change for the Open House.   
  
It had started to snow lightly when Trixie rushed back into the house two hours later. Laden with bags, she ran up to her room, practically slamming the door behind her. Chris watched from the kitchen, where he'd been roped into helping Moms assemble the last minute batch of thumbprint cookies.   
  
"Well, at least I know it's not just Marty who's always running around like a crazy person."  
  
Mrs. Belden laughed. "Wait until the rest of the Bob-Whites arrive. Then you'll see."  
  
"He'll see what?" Honey Wheeler said from the doorway. She had a tray covered in foil in her arms and snow on her shoulders.   
  
Mart took the tray from her and gave her a one armed hug. "Nothing. Moms is just trying to scare him." He made introductions and left Honey to helping where his mother sent her.   
  
An hour later the house and patio were full of people. It had continued to snow and Honey's brother, Jim, had started a nice fire in the patio fireplace to keep off the cold. Trixie's other brother, Brian, had finally arrived and with the addition of Dan Mangan and Di Lynch, the Bob-Whites were complete. They were all, save Mart, gathered around the fire on the patio.   
  
They chatted about schools and classes, projects at school and their plans for the long break. It was Jim who brought up the subject of Trixie's mystery. He looked down at her, gathered in the curve of his arm, and said, "So, Trix. Whatever happened to your mystery?"  
  
"Oh! I solved that. Easy as pie," she beamed up at him.   
  
The group all waited, watching. Finally, Honey grabbed Trixie's arm. "Well. Tell us!"  
  
Trixie laughed and pointed over to the corner of the patio where Mart was standing very very close to Chris, a tentative hand at his waist. The group turned and looked then turned back to Trixie, each face a mask of confusion.   
  
"Chris is his boyfriend!" Trixie made her exclamation quietly.   
  
Her friends looked at her, eyes wide. Trixie merely pointed again. Mart had finally maneuvered Chris under the mistletoe she'd hung from the tree branch and was leaning his head in for a holiday kiss. Chris tilted his head slightly and met him halfway. 

 


End file.
